We're All Mad Here (Jefferson x OC)

Chapter Thirteen

"Rumpelstiltskin?" Jefferson called as he walked through the dark castle with his hand clutching his hat. "Rumpelstiltskin, I know you're here!"

"That, I am." Rumpel announced from behind him. Jefferson spun around, seeing the imp standing there as if he had been there the whole time. "I was waiting for you to arrive with your end of the deal."

Jefferson stepped forward, bringing out the glass bottle with his and Serena's hair inside. "You knew she would live? You knew she was my true love?"

"Honestly, I was waiting for you to realize it yourself." Rumpel sighed dramatically as he took the bottle from him. "Tell me, what took you so long? Finally gave up on the idea that curses can be broken without true love? Or did you realize she was far more important to you than you thought?"

"It doesn't matter." Jefferson knew Rumpel was trying to get a reaction out of him, he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "If you knew the whole time, why didn't you tell me she was going to live?"

"You had to find out for yourself." The Dark One giggled, holding the bottle with the two hairs up to his face. He watched the two hairs intertwine, light radiating off the magic that was happening.

"What's that?" Jefferson asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. Rumpelstiltskin looked up at him, a knowing look on his face.

"It's the exact reason your princess is still alive."

"She's not my princess." Jefferson shook his head with a dry laugh. "I promised her I would get her back to her sister."

"Didn't know you were the type to make empty promises."

"It's not an empty promise."

"We'll see about that."

Jefferson groaned. "Now's not the time. Serena's been getting nightmares since she woke up, and now she can barely sleep without waking up with burns on her arms."

"Ah, I was expecting that." Rumpel sighed. "It's a side affect. Since her soul was in the Netherworld during the curse, she still travels there when she sleeps. Although I can't stop it completely, I have something that can help with it."

"What is it?" Jefferson asked, eager to help Serena. With a flick of his wrist, a pendent appeared in Rumpelstiltskin's hand. Rumpel held the pendent up, hanging it off one finger. Jefferson went to grab it before Rumpel pulled it away.

"You know how this works. I give you this, what do I get out of it?"

"I gave you the hairs."

"Which was part of our other deal. This is different."

"Fine, what do you want?"

"Hmm?" Rumpel thought for a moment, knowing the longer he took, the more annoyed Jefferson would get. "I'm not sure. When the time comes, you'll owe me a favor."

"Fine." Jefferson responded before Rumpel tossed the pendent to him. He caught it, taking a moment to look at it before putting it into his bag.

"It was nice to do business with you." Jefferson simply nodded before grabbing his hat and tossing it on the ground, waiting for it to spin. Rumpel giggled as Jefferson jumped into the portal.

"Here you go." Victor said as he handed Serena a glass of whiskey. "Be careful, it's strong." She nodded, hesitant to try it. She told Victor that she had never tried any alcohol other than wine, which she was only allowed to have during parties, and he brought out some for her to try.

"Okay." She responded, taking a small sip of the golden liquid. A burning sensation followed the drink as it slid down her throat. She winced at the taste, wondering how people could drink it on the daily. "Oh, my god. That's disgusting. Why does it taste like that?"